PC cleared of abusing powers to start relationship

A police officer has been cleared of abusing his powers to start a relationship with a woman he met in the course of his duties.

Paul Higgins, 42, of Hengoed, Caerphilly, met the complainant when he was an attending officer after she called police about a domestic abuse incident.

Mr Higgins, who is suspended as a South Wales Police officer, is still accused of perverting the course of justice.

He denies the charge and the trial continues.

Mr Higgins has also been cleared of three counts of accessing a police database without authorisation.

Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke directed the jury formally to enter not guilty pleas to those counts because she had “decided there is insufficient evidence in law” for the jury to convict.

Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court previously heard that he "pursued and engaged" in a sexual relationship with the woman between June 2020 and August 2021.

The IOPC began an investigation following a referral about his conduct from the force in May 2021.

The court was told previously that Mr Higgins "persuaded her to tell a cover story he’d concocted" to his superiors and investigators from the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

Giving evidence, Mr Higgins that they had met in a bar in Cardiff in 2015 and that the relationship was not a sexual one at that time.

Mr Higgins said he "vaguely" recognised Ms O’Neill while attending her call to a report of domestic violence.

He added he saw her again in 2019 when she was at the scene of a road collision he had attended.

The court heard their relationship developed and became sexual towards the end of 2020 and start of 2021.

Mr Higgins said he had “sought guidelines” on whether it was appropriate for a police officer to form a relationship with someone they had met in the course of their duties.

He told the court that he had spoken to his colleague PC Nia Palla about the relationship with Ms O’Neill.

Mr Higgins said she expressed no real concerns about it but had told him to speak to his sergeant about it.

Mr Higgins said he spoke to Sgt Jane Locke in either February or March 2021 and he said she had no concerns either.

He said there had been no formal training about forming relationships with people he had come into contact with as part of his work or around the abuse of positions of power.

Mr Higgins denies instructing Ms O'Neill what to say to the IOPC and threatening to take his life.

He denies perverting the course of justice. The trial continues.